Memories
by waterdragon719
Summary: Holly finds out she was mindwiped by Root to forget a certain mud boy...but not Artemis. Post OD. CHAP 7 UP!
1. Prolouge

Hello! It's me again!

Well, after writing two surface fics I decided to write one for Artemis Fowl. This chapter is really short, but it's just a prologue and I promise other chapters will be much longer.

Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis Fowl. wipes tear from eye

* * *

Prologue.

Foaly was sifting through Ex-Commander Root's old papers and reports. It was a very, very boring job.

Fortunately, Foaly was very, very bored.

He yawned and rubbed his eyes. _Another day…another boring day…I should be inventing something but nooooo…Commander Ark Sool wants his paperwork done._

Foaly's eyes drifted toward an idle sticky note attached to one of the papers.

DOCK FOALY'S PAY.

Foaly scowled, crumpled up the note and threw it into the bin. As much as he had liked Root, he could still be a pain even from the grave.

He glanced over the paper. It was one of the ones he had recovered from Root's "secret file storage" (the left drawer on his desk) and he had a sudden urge to read it. He wasn't read supposed to read anything, just skim through them and anything that looked important went to the commander's office, but who would know? He was the only one watching the security tapes and could manipulate them later, and besides, if he found something juicy it could lead to some good blackmail.

"Sorry Julius" said Foaly, picking up the paper, "I just can't resist"

Foaly took one look at the paper and was disappointed. It was just a report of the various mind-wipes carried out over the years. Foaly looked at the top name.

Artemis Fowl the second, mind-wiped 23rd of September 2004.

_Fat lot of good that did,_ thought Foaly.

Foaly read through the list of names, remembering each one as if it was yesterday. _I remember that guy…he wasn't so bad after the mind wipe…I think he's breeding mice now…_

Suddenly, Foaly came across a name he didn't recognise. He read it and his eyes widened.

Foaly, mind-wiped 15th of February, 1980.

Foaly frowned. He didn't remember getting mind-wiped (but then again, who does?). He scrolled down further.

Trouble Kelp, mind-wiped 15th of February, 1980.

Grub Kelp, mind-wiped 15th of February, 1980.

Chix Verbal, mind-wiped 15th of February, 1980.

_What is this? _Thought Foaly, _since when did I…_

His eyes drifted to the next name. He read and re-read it, not believing what he was seeing.

Holly Short, mind-wiped 15th of February, 1980.

Holly Short.

_Root had Holly mind-wiped? Why?_

Whatever the reason, Foaly wasn't going to let this settle. He turned around to the phone and dialled a number.

"Operator? Patch me in to Holly Short immediately. She has some explaining to do"

* * *

Well? Please reveiw so i can continue! Thank u! 


	2. Had A Bad Day

Hello!

Sorry it took so long to update, I got a little stuck on this chapter…next time will be quicker hopefully :D

I hope this chapter makes up for it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl. :droops head and sobs uncontrollably:

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Chapter 2: Had a Bad Day.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Holly Short jumped out of bed, grabbed the gun on the bedside table and fired. There was a crash, and with one last pathetic ring her alarm clock's gears stopped and the broken screen flickered off.

Holly stared at the broken alarm clock for a moment, then sighed and rubbed her forehead. _Great, now I have to pay for a new alarm clock._

Groggily, she got out of bed and automatically headed to the kitchen (as she had for the last decade). She pulled down a chipped mug off the shelf and began to make a cup of coffee by turning on her antique kettle, rubbing her eyes as if that would clear her foggy morning vision. Coffee aside, she went to her wardrobe. Opening the door with a graceful swish of the arm, and quickly began to sort through the pile of ragged clothes to find her familiar forest green LEP uniform. The missing piece of her morning schedule nagged at her brain, poking her senses, and she began to pull out her clothes in an effort to find it. When the wardrobe was empty she sorted through the pile again to see if she'd missed it somehow.

Then she remembered she didn't work for the LEP anymore.

She glared at the empty space in her wardrobe and the pile of clothes on the floor, and then returned to her coffee. She took one sip of it, and then put it back on the bench.

_What's the use? _She thought, _I don't have any work today. I'm just an ordinary citizen._

That was a lie. She did have work, at a diner near her apartment that cooked the worst meals (worse than Spud's Spud Emporium, amazingly) and paid her practically nothing. They probably wouldn't care if Holly didn't turn up to work for one day…

Holly decided to get back to bed. After hours working at that diner, day and night, she felt tired of life and everyone in it. These days her tempers were shorter than Root's, and the private detective business wasn't going too well either. It was a lot harder than it seemed, running your own private detective business. She missed being in the LEP and actually solving _real_ crimes, not just the petty ones she and Mulch picked up, which didn't tend to pay much either (especially when they received prank calls at five o'clock in the morning). She hadn't even talked to Artemis for ages, at least not since the batteries died in the communicator about a month ago. She couldn't afford new ones, and until Foaly gave her those 'special' batteries he'd made her for her birthday she couldn't do anything about it.

_Sleep is good. I need good sleep._

Holly hopped back into bed. Just as she was about to fall asleep, the phone rang.

"D'arvit" she mumbled into her pillow. Why couldn't the world leave her alone?

---

Holly stared up at the LEP headquarters blankly. She used to love this building, but now it glared down at her like she wasn't supposed to be there.

_Well…here goes…_

She stepped up the steps and walked through the front door.

It was just how she remembered it. The dull paint, the posters on the wall, the coffee machine in the corner, she remembered it all. She recognised most of the people walking by on their shifts, and it made her sad to think she wasn't part of them anymore.

"Hey! Holly!"

Holly instantly recognised the voice and she turned around, "Here's trouble"

Trouble Kelp was coming towards her. He smiled at her, "Hey, haven't seen you around here in a while. I almost didn't recognise you without the uniform!"

Holly shrugged, "Well, I don't work here anymore." _Instead I'm working for a cheesy diner with cracks in the ceiling the size of Grand Canyon._

"How's the private detective business going?"

_Crap._ "Great. We've got heaps of customers already."

Trouble clapped her on the back, "Come back to the squad Holly. We all miss you, except perhaps Sool, but he was always a bit of an asshole anyway. And I bet you miss the excitement don't you? You were never really the quiet citizen type"

_Yes. I miss it all so much._ "What? I miss the early mornings and late nights and foul coffee? No way"

Trouble stared at her with a look that said _yeah right_, "So why are you here anyway?"

Holly shrugged again, "No idea. Foaly called me and told me to come down ASAP."

Trouble frowned again, "That's weird. He was probably just bored; he hasn't been doing much since Sool took over."

Holly rolled her eyes, "Sool is an idiot, a sexist, and a real d'arvitting prick. He shouldn't have taken this job in the first place; he doesn't deserve it. Even Root did a better job than he is…why are you looking at me like that?"

Trouble was staring at her in absolute horror. Holly heard a cough behind her and almost died in embarrassment right on the spot.

"Morning Commander." she said through gritted teeth.

"Morning Miss. Short" replied Sool coldly, "May I ask why you are here, considering you are _still_ a citizen and _still_ no longer associated with the LEPrecon?" Holly noticed he put special emphasis on the _still_.

"Foaly asked me to come sir." mumbled Holly, her face turning a bright red.

"Then get your skinny pixie butt down to the Ops. Booth right now" said Sool, "_Go_!"

Holly raced down to the Ops. Booth, silently swearing under her breath. Today really wasn't one of her best days.

Little did she know it was about to get much, much worse.

---

Foaly heard a knock on the door of the Ops. Booth and saw Holly waiting outside. He quickly overrode the security on the door and it opened.

"Holly, thank Haven you're here"

Holly took a glance around the booth (which was full of papers and half eaten carrots), grunted something unrecognisable at him and pulled up a chair.

"This had better be good Foaly" grumbled Holly as she sat down, "I shot my alarm clock this morning and Sool will probably be on my back for the rest of the year, so I am _not_ in a good mood"

Foaly handed her a piece of paper, "Well, you won't like this then."

Holly took the paper, "What's this?"

"It's a record of mind-wipes that I found in Root's desk" said Foaly. He pointed to one of the names, "And it's got your name on it."

Holly stared at Foaly in shock, "_What_?"

Foaly pointed to the name again, "Look at it!"

Holly gazed at the sheet, not really believing what she was seeing.

Holly Short, mind-wiped 15th of February, 1980.

"But that's impossible…" Holly stuttered, the shock sinking in "It can't be…I can't be…is this some kind of joke?"

Foaly shook his head, "I wish it was. My name is on there too, and I don't like the idea of having lost some of my IQ."

Holly was still dazed, "But why? Why would Root…" Holly frowned and turned red, "Root! Root did this! And I trusted him…he was like a father to me…"

"Holly, don't start blaming him. You know the Commander would have mind-wiped us for a reason"

Holly shook her head, "But why? I had nothing to do with mud-people that would expose haven. Why didn't he tell me?" She trailed off.

"Obviously it might have caused a total recall." said Foaly "For all you know you could have been a drug smuggler. And besides, knowing your temper he might have been sent to the grave earlier than planned."

Holly glared at him but shrugged the comment aside, "Well, I don't know about you, but I think I'd like my memories back."

Foaly pointed to another name on the sheet, "Maybe you should ask him." Holly read the name.

Tyler Richardson, mind-wiped 15th of February, 1980.

Holly felt a spark of recognition, a hint of something her mind had cast aside long ago. She turned to Foaly, "Who's Tyler Richardson?"

Foaly took back the piece of paper, "That, Holly, is something you need to ask yourself"

---

Well, I hope this was a good chapter! Thanks to everyone who reveiwed...boy thats a lot of support! You guys rock!


	3. Old Fashioned Snooping

I thought I'd already loaded this chapter...sorry guys! Chapter four will be loaded at the same time so you will have lots to read, promise!

Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl. ::Sobs:: So sad...

* * *

"Artemis! Please!" 

"Do you have anything else? An old address maybe?"

Holly scowled at him, "No. Otherwise I'd have gone there myself, nitwit."

Artemis's face crumpled on the computer screen, "Holly, a name is not much to go on. Tyler Richardson…there could be thousands in Ireland alone. And what if he lives overseas now? I'm sorry Holly, there's just not enough information"

Holly took a deep breath, "Artemis, do you remember when I came to you after you were mind wiped? How you had no idea what was going on but somehow remembered things you were sure you'd never seen?"

Artemis hesitated, and then nodded.

"Well, that's how I feel" continued Holly, "I want my memories back Artemis. And I know you can help me"

Artemis was still, and then he nodded. Holly beamed,

"Thank you Artemis!"

"I'll call you if I find something" said Artemis, "Just don't get too hopeful okay?"

Artemis hung up, and the screen on Foaly's computer went blank. Holly punched the air triumphantly,

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Okay Foaly, your turn"

Foaly turned to another computer, "I'm checking the archives right now for any mention of Tyler Richardson. If its there, we'll find it."

Holly nodded, "And check out those mind wipe records again, in case there's anyone we missed"

_I'm getting my memories back if it's the last thing I do!_

* * *

Artemis opened his laptop with a small flick of his wrist and started to pound the keys frantically. 

_Tyler Richardson. Somewhere there has to be a Tyler Richardson._

He went to the first and most obvious option available…Google. Best to start with the easy stuff, no point doing something complicated if you could find it in half the time. He typed in the name, and a moment later five million possible searches appeared.

_Great. This'll take a while._

Artemis began clicking on the websites. Each one was just as stupid as the next.

_This it going to take forever. Maybe a complicated option would work better._

"Butler? Butler?"

There was a pounding of footsteps coming up the stairs, and Artemis saw a shape appear in the doorway. Artemis turned to the door, but instead of Butler he saw his father in the doorway.

"Butler's one the phone with Juliet for the minute" he said, "Mid-life crisis apparently. What do you need?"

Artemis silently cursed (why did Juliet have a mid life crisis no?) and then shrugged, "It's alright. I've got it now"

Artemis's father frowned at him, "Alright…if you need anything just say so."

He made to return downstairs, and then turned back to Artemis, "Artemis, we've got someone coming round for dinner tonight."

It was Artemis's turn to frown, "Why? What's the special occasion?"

"I'm having a meeting with a business friend of mine. He wants me to donate some money to invest in a newsletter he's starting up"

Artemis nodded, "Who is he?"

"His name is Tyler Richardson. Nice guy, writes some very good articles…Artemis?"

Artemis was staring at him, gobsmacked. He quickly shut his mouth and shook his head,

"Uh…I'm fine." He coughed, "Dry throat"

His father gave him another suspicious look, then shrugged and walked back downstairs.

Artemis listened to the footsteps receding down the stairs, absorbed in his own thoughts.

_It doesn't mean anything. It could be a false alarm. But…_

Making a final decision, Artemis shut his laptop and grabbed a camera off the shelf. Time for some old fashioned snooping.

* * *

Later that evening, there was a knock on the door of Fowl Manor. 

Butler went to the door and opened it. A man wearing a dull brown coat was standing in the doorway with his hands in his pockets. When he saw Butler he jumped, and then hastily stood up straight and straightened the hat that had slipped off his dark brown hair.

"Uh…hello…" he stuttered.

"Tyler Richardson?" asked Butler.

The man nodded, "Yes, that's me."

Butler opened the door wide and gestured for him to come in. Tyler instantly relaxed and walked inside the door into the house. He was so relived this giant wasn't going to hurt him he didn't hear the sharp 'click' as he walked through the doorway.

"This way" gestured Butler and he lead him to the dining room. Tyler kept glancing nervously at the portraits on the wall, wishing they'd stop staring at him. The corridor seemed to stretch forever, every footstep seeming to take him nowhere. For what seemed like and eternity he walked that corridor, and then finally he walked into the dining room. The table in the dining room was beautifully set, gleaming cutlery and a candle in the middle, and around the table sat three people.

"Tyler!" exclaimed Artemis senior, "Pleased you could make it! Sit, sit!"

Tyler sat down. Artemis watched him from his place at the table and wondered whether he had been right, that he was the man Holly was looking for.

Artemis's father gestured to him, "This is my son, Artemis"

Tyler reached over the table to shake his hand, "Nice to meet you. You're dad has told me lots about you."

Artemis shook his hand, "Likewise" he replied with a grin.

Tyler seemed to recoil a little, freaked out by the young boy's knowing, vampiric smile. Butler left to get the dinners ready, and an awkward silence descended on the dining room.

"Do you take wine?" asked Artemis senior, breaking the silence.

"Yes please!" said Tyler with relief, holding out his glass.

The dark red liquid was poured around the table (Artemis just had a glass of water). Tyler took a big gulp, draining the glass in one sitting and attracting a stare from Angeline, who whispered something to her husband.

"So…" Angeline began, returning her attention to her guest, "Your newsletter…what's it about?"

Tyler refilled the glass and took another large gulp of the wine. He was really getting nervous now, if this meeting didn't go well tonight he'd never get his paper started, "It's a local newsletter, but with a twist. The articles are all about the supernatural. Whether UFOs, fairies and the like really exist."

Artemis almost choked on his water. Tyler glanced at him, and then continued, "We'll have interviews from gypsies, witch doctors, palm readers. We'll have surveys, a feedback column, and horoscopes"

"Sounds interesting" commented Angeline, "Artemis, doesn't that sound interesting?"

Artemis gave a shrug, "I suppose" he said vaguely, "But do you really believe in fairies Mr. Richardson?"

Tyler shuffled uncomfortably in his chair, "Well…yes and no. I'm sure something is out there, but I don't really…"

"I have this friend" said Artemis "Her name is _Holly_. She loves fairies."

Tyler twitched. Something seemed to flicker behind his eyes.

"I used to have a friend…I can't really remember her name…" Tyler began. Then his eyes snapped out of their dream world as Butler returned from the kitchen with dinner.

Artemis grinned. He'd just found Holly's memory.

* * *

Well, now we know who Tyler is! Next chapter we find out what actually happened... 

Thanks to all who reveiwed! Please do it again!


	4. Thanks for the Memories

Hello! Chapter four is finally up, and now that school is finished AND I've almost finished my Surface fic the chapters should be coming a lot sooner. I say should because...well you know me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl. But I love it all the same!

---

The next day, Holly arrived early at Police Plaza and entered the Ops Booth carrying two cups of coffee.

"Thank goodness!" said Foaly as Holly entered the Ops Booth, "Please tell me that's full strength."

Holly placed the cup down next to him and pulled up a chair.

"Any luck?" she asked.

Foaly shook his head, "Unless the Tyler Richardson you're looking for is a super model who lives in Chicago, I don't think we've found him."

Holly groaned, "I spent all night looking through that stuff you gave me, and I found nothing. Zilch. Root was really smart about this one."

Holly was still feeling upset that Root had mind wiped her. He had been like a father to her, and then he had stolen her memories. But she knew there had to be a reason, and so that quelled her fury.

For now anyway.

Suddenly, one of Foaly's computers buzzed. Foaly pressed a button and Artemis's face appeared on the screen.

"Talk Mud Boy" said Foaly.

"Did you find something?" asked Holly hopefully.

Artemis grinned, "Yep. Have a look at this"

Artemis held up a photo of a man with dark brown hair and fairly white skin, wearing a brown coat and a top hat. Holly and Foaly stared at it.

"Butler took a picture of him when he walked into our house last night. Tyler Richardson, wants to write a newsletter on the supernatural and, according to me, has some nervous habits. Ring any bells?"

There was a moment's silence. Then Holly spoke.

"That's him" she whispered, "That's him…"

She continued to stare at the photo. All the memories came rushing back, memories that had been locked away in her brain that she'd long discarded.

"Holly?" said Artemis, "Hello?"

"Be quiet Artemis" replied Foaly. He turned to Holly, "Lets find out who this Tyler is"

**_February 1st, 1980._**

"Hey! Hey you! _Stop!_"

The elf didn't even falter. Holly knew her shouting was useless, but she did it anyway. No-one could hear them in the deserted forest she was chasing a serial killer elf through. Three Lep agents had been murdered in a market outside of town and the stupid killer had decided to steal a pair of wings and take them up to the surface...

The black of the elf's clothes melted into the dark trees. Perhaps this elf wasn't as stupid as Holly thought. She swore and fiddled with a few dials on her helmet. A couple of seconds later a few red blobs appeared in her vision, one particularly larger than the rest.

"Hello" whispered Holly, "I've found you."

Holly activated her wings and hovered over the ground to avoid making noise that would alert her position. Suddenly the forest gave way to a street, and Holly activated her shield.

The elf continued to run, his footsteps echoing through the silent night. Holly swore again and hoped that most of the Mud Men in the street were asleep. When she finally dragged him into court there would be hell to pay. Still following, her hand slowly reached for her gun.

Suddenly, a boy ran out onto the street.

The kid couldn't have been older than five or six, with little tufts of dark brown hair sitting atop his small head. He was bawling his eyes out, the tears running down his face and dripping onto his pyjamas as he stumbled into the street.

The elf stopped and stared at the boy. Then he turned to where Holly was and grinned. Holly didn't even have time to react, and things began happening very slowly.

The elf swung around and grabbed the kid by the throat. He tried to fight back but the elf gripped his mouth and held on tight. With the other hand he grabbed a gun out of a hidden belt on his pants.

"Don't move!" he shouted, "Don't move or the Mud Boy dies."

_D'arvit. D'arvit. D'arvit…_

"I know you are there, Captain Short." the elf continued, "Un shield yourself now." He cocked the gun as a warning.

Holly scanned the area, looking for options. The elf's gun was a human model, old and slow. If she was fast, she could grab her gun out of her pocket and shoot before the elf had time to pull the trigger. But she could hit the Mud boy…

Making a final decision, Holly quickly reached for her gun. At the same time, the elf saw the movement in the air and pulled the trigger.

Both shots shattered the air around them like glass. When Holly opened her eyes she saw the elf lying a metre or so away from the Mud boy, who was lying in a pool of blood.

_Oh god…_

Holly flew down to the kid and checked his pulse. It was very weak, hardly there.

_Oh god…he's just a kid…he can't die…_

Holly gulped. She knew Root would be mad about this, she could hear the police sirens now, but the boy was so wounded if she didn't do something he would surely die.

Holly found the gunshot wound (it was through one of the lungs) and placed her hand on it. "Heal" she whispered.

The magic instantly got to work, blue sparks scattering over the child's tiny frame. The body jerked and the boy's eyes flew open as the wound began to heal itself, and his breath began to come back in gasps.

There was a bit more jerking, and then the body lay still. The boy was sweating and his eyes were wide open. He turned to Holly,

"Mummy?" he asked. Then the eyes shut and the body went limp.

Holly lingered for a moment, then left. There was nothing more she could do, and the police were coming. Quickly, she ran over to the elf (who was only stunned) and hoisted him onto her back. Shielding herself, she walked away, resolving to return and check on the boy later, when this had blown over.

Two days later, Holly peered through the bedroom window of the Mud Boy's house.

She was _not_ supposed to be here. If Root knew she was here, he'd have a heart attack. She _was_ supposed to be back at Police Plaza, but she could easily make an excuse up that she'd made a detour to the ocean or something. I mean, how many people went straight to Police Plaza when they had a pair of wings strapped to their back and the night at their disposal?

Holly ever so carefully and quietly pulled the window up (for some reason it wasn't locked) and crept into the room. She was shielded, but she still didn't want to risk anyone seeing her shimmering outline. In the bed was the little child, and in the moonlight Holly could see the bandage strapped across his chest.

_Poor kid._

Holly crept closer to the bed and studied the kid's face. His face was so peaceful compared to the fear that had been in his eyes the previous day. For some reason, this made Holly feel very happy.

She didn't really like the Mud People that much. But this kid seemed different. Special.

And then his eyes opened.

Holly jumped. The boy stared at her for a moment, and then uttered a single sentence.

"Mummy? Is that you?"

Holly was drastically trying to think of something to say, but then she remembered she was shielded. He couldn't see her, and it was too dark in the room to catch a faint shimmer in the air.

"Mummy?" the boy asked again. His voice was sad, pleading, "Mummy?"

Holly's heart melted, like butter in a microwave. She'd never had children, she never wanted children, but she wanted to hug this boy and tell him that it was okay and his mummy would be back soon.

Where was his mummy anyway?

The boy was silent. Then he began to sob quietly, the noise barely reaching Holly's ears.

Then, Holly decided to do something. Something she'd regret much later on. She un-shielded, went over to the bed and hugged the boy.

Root wouldn't have just had a heart attack; he'd have _exploded_ and then rolled in his grave.

"Hey there, it's alright."

The boy stopped sobbing. He looked at Holly and stared at her with his own brown eyes.

"You're not Mummy" he whispered. Holly gulped.

"Where is your mummy?" she asked, "I'll get her if you want."

"Mummy isn't here" whispered the boy even quieter. Holly realised what he meant.

"I'm so sorry" she said, hugging him even tighter, "But it's going to be okay, okay?"

The boy hugged her back. They stayed like that for a moment, and then the boy pulled away.

"My name is Tyler" he said.

"Holly" Holly replied with a grin.

Tyler stared at her, "You're the one who saved me. You're the one who saved me after I got shot." Holly nodded and Tyler blushed, "I never said thank you. It's rude not to say thank you."

"You're welcome" said Holly, smiling.

Tyler nodded at her, and then smiled at her, "I'm six years old. How old are you?"

Holly laughed, "Six hundred years old"

Tyler laughed with her, "Wow, that's really old! Daddy says people don't even live to be a hundred!"

_Careful Holly_ said her inner sense. She was having fun, but if she wasn't careful she'd give away her secret.

"You're really short for a hundred years old" speculated Tyler, "You're only a little bit taller than me! And you don't have wrinkles!"

"I moisturise" said Holly light-heartedly. Tyler laughed again and suddenly there was a shout in the corridor.

"Tyler! Who are you talking to?" The voice was rough and throaty, like sandpaper.

Tyler's face suddenly went pale. He looked terrified, "No-one Daddy!"

"You'd better not be" said the voice again, "Not another word from you or I swear I'm coming in there…"

Tyler, who seemed to have forgotten Holly for the moment, slipped under the covers of his bed.

_I think it's time to go. _Thought Holly. She headed for the window, when she heard the little voice behind her.

"Holly?" whispered Tyler, "Where are you going?"

"I have to go home" she said, "I'll come back"

And then she slipped out the window.

"So that's who Tyler Richardson is!" exclaimed Foaly, "But that still doesn't explain why…"

"There's more" said Holly, "Much, much more."


	5. Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong

Sorry for the (very) late update, but the chapter wouldn't upload. I did it about six times two days ago before I gave up, and then I tried again today and...what do you know...

Anyway, here is the chapter. Hope it was worth the wait!

Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl...

* * *

Holly visited Tyler a lot over the next few weeks. She visited every opportunity she got to the surface, and she was surprised Foaly didn't notice (or if he did notice, he didn't say so) her little detours. He and she became good friends, she was the mother he never had and he was the son she'd never had. It was perfect. She told him everything, eventually she even told him about being an elf, and everything about the LEP. She told him stories of what she'd done in the LEP (exaggerating just a tiny bit, and leaving out the embarrassing moments) and she told him about the chutes and how hot they could get. She'd later regret that.

One night Holly visited Tyler in his room and found him, his face covered in bruises.

"Tyler!" she exclaimed, hugging him "What happened?"

Tyler was silent for a moment, and then he spoke.

"Daddy thinks I'm lying" he said quietly.

"About what?" asked Holly.

"He caught me telling people about you in kindy" he said, "And he said I was being stupid and he hit me."

"What?!"

"Daddy hit me because I said you were real and he thinks I'm making it up." Tyler's voice was barely a whisper, "He always hits me when I don't do what he says. Ever since Mummy died."

Holy was shocked. She'd only heard Tyler's father on the first night, when Tyler had been frightened. No wonder he was scared! This was child abuse! But she knew she couldn't do anything about it. Holly took Tyler by the shoulder,

"Tyler, I want you to listen to me, okay? I don't want you to tell anyone else about me, alright? It's just our secret. Can you do that for me?"

Tyler nodded. Then he bit his lip,

"Are you real Holly? Or is Daddy right?"

Holly wanted to comfort him, and she noticed a camera on the bedside table. One of the old instant cameras that journalists used to use. She picked it up and crowded up next to Tyler, holding the camera in front of her.

"Say cheese" she said. Tyler smiled and they took a photo. When it came out of the camera, she shook it a few times and handed it to him.

"As long as you have this photo, I'm real" she said, handing it to him, "And if you're ever in trouble you can look at this photo to make you feel better"

"Thank you Holly" said Tyler, smiling again.

"Tyler?" came a thundering voice from the hallway. Tyler glanced at Holly, his face turning from a grin to a grimace. Holly took the chance and opened the window.

"See ya Tyler!" she said, "Love you!"

"Bye Holly" whispered Tyler as she jumped out of the window. As soon as Holly was out of sight, Tyler took one last look at the photo and jumped out of the bed.

"I'm sorry Holly." He whispered, "But Daddy has to believe me. Then we'll be happy again."

He walked into the corridor, "Daddy! Daddy! I have to show you something!"

* * *

Two days later, Foaly called Holly up to the Ops booth. When Holly got up there, she was surprised to see Root standing there as well.

"What's up Foaly?" asked Holly in confusion as he allowed her in.

Foaly turned to her, his face a picture of grim despair.

"I got a phone call." He said, and he pressed a button on his desk. Suddenly, a voice appeared out of nowhere.

"Jack! Hey Jack!" said the voice, "You wanted me to get a story right? Well I got a story! It may sound crazy man, but I have absolute proof that fairies exist!"

"What?!" another voice replied, "Are you crazy man? You mean actual tutu wearin', dancing round the mushroom circle flippin' fairies?!"  
"No, actually. See, these fairies live underground, and they have this police force called the LEP…dunno what it stands for, Leprechaun or something…"

"And who told you this? Your whacko five-year-old son?"

Holly's eyes grew wide. She knew she'd recognised the voice. It was Tyler's dad!

"Actually he did. And he has a photo. And don't tell me it was a setup, because no-one could have set this up. I scanned it from top to bottom and there was nothing on it. No stitches or anything. It was a real fairy, or elf…either way, The Sunday Times will love it!"

Root put his hand up, "Okay Foaly. That is all I need to hear."

Foaly pressed the button again and the voices stopped. Holly felt all eyes turn to her and an awkward silence descended upon the room and its inhabitants.

"Okay Holly." Said Root, trying to stay calm while his face turned red, "I think you have some explaining to do."

Holly gulped, "I have nothing to do with this" she lied.

"Really?" said Root, "Because I know you are a _very_ bad liar. And Foaly has some _interesting_ data on your little detours."

Holly stared at Foaly, "Your knew?"

Foaly nodded, "I didn't want to say anything about it, because you are my friend and I thought you knew what you were doing. Honestly, I didn't actually know _what_ you were doing until you left your helmet on last night. I recorded the whole thing."

_D'arvit. You've really done it now Holly._

"Holly." Said Root, his face now a deep purple, "You are going to go and find that man, and we are going to mind wipe him. Then, I want you out of here. You are out of the squad."

"But Commander…"

"Never!" he shouted at the top of his voice, "Never in the history of Haven has someone ever done something so _stupid!_ And from one of my best officers! The guy is a bloody _journalist_! After we put this under wraps, I'll see to it you never work in the LEP again! Do you understand that you're reckless regard for the rules has put the entire fairy race in danger!"

Holly flinched. She was about to say something, but Root held his hand up.

"Save it for the courts." Said Root, "Now go before you do anything else stupid. The Kelps will accompany you once I've told the council the bad news."

Root stomped out of the Ops. Booth and slammed the door. Holly stood there for a moment, then collapsed in a chair and cried.

"You really made a mess of things this time." Said Foaly, coming over and hugging her, "But don't worry. It'll work out. It always does."

"Not this time" Holly sobbed, "I've just exposed Haven to the Mud people. If I don't stop them, we are all stuffed. If I do stop them, I'll go to jail and lose my badge. If I'm lucky."

Foaly sighed, "Yeah, it is bad. But Root will back you up. You know he thinks of you like a daughter."

Holly laughed, "The council hates me though."

Foaly shrugged, "Oh well. Nobody is perfect."

He patted her on the back, "Now go, or Root might pop another vein."

Holly smiled at him, and then ran out the door to get her equipment. For a moment, everything seemed okay.

* * *

Later, Holly and the Kelp brothers were taking the E1 chute up to Tara. It was deathly silent in the pod, and when they got out and onto the surface it seemed that even the crickets had decided to shut up. Until Trouble finally spoke.

"Heard what happened." He said, "Sorry."

Holly shrugged, "You shouldn't be sorry. I ruined everything. And I never even thought that Tyler's dad was a journalist…"

Grub poked his head in between the two, "Wow Holly, you really stuffed it up this time…wait till I tell—"

Trouble glared at him, and Grub instantly backed away and began wandering. Trouble put on his wings, and then turned back to Holly,

"Have the council said much?"

Holly shook her head, "No idea yet. I think I'm looking at losing my badge and maybe a two hundred, three hundred year sentence?"

"Can't be that bad." Said Trouble, "You're a good officer."

"_And _the only female." Holly replied, "Who's that guy…Sool? He's been on my back ever since I joined the squad."

"Yeah, well some people are just idiots. Race doesn't make any difference in talent."

Holly smiled, "Thanks. I think I needed to hear that."

Suddenly, behind them Holly heard a cry of alarm. She and Trouble whirled around, just in time to see someone dart into the trees.

Grub was gone.

Trouble began running in the direction of the moving trees. There was a shout, and Holly distinctly heard the sound of a car door slamming and an engine bursting into life. She ran over to the scene, just in time to see the car tear down the road and out of sight, Trouble running right after it.

"Come back here you son of a troll!" he shouted, "Grub!"

Trouble instantly activated his wings and rose into the air. Holly didn't even have time to think as she quickly put on her wings and followed, taking care to shield herself. No need to make things worse.

But things were as worse as they could get. Things had happened so fast that she hadn't had time to take it in, but now she finally realised that Grub had been taken hostage. Now the Mud men had a hostage, and if Holly was right they'd take Grub back to their dwelling. Considering they'd only just figured out fairies existed, they wouldn't know that if a fairy was in a human dwelling without an invitation they'd become sick an eventually lose their magic. Holly had an excuse; Tyler had practically invited her in on the first night, but Grub…if Grub stayed in there for too long he might never be able to use magic again. His brother would know, going through the same thing in Holly's initiation. But that time it had been Root's brother, who was a fairy himself and knew the costs of his actions. These Mud people didn't even know what they were doing.

This was big. Very big. It could start a war between Haven and the Mud people. And it was all her fault.

The two elves followed the car to Tyler's house. They descended carefully behind a rose bush and watched as the two humans dragged a limp body out of the car.

"D'arvit." Swore Trouble, "They're taking him into the house."

Holly gulped, "Trouble, I'm…"

"Don't say it." Trouble interrupted firmly, "Just don't Holly."

Holly kept her mouth shut. The two men carried Grub through the front door and quickly shut it behind them.

"How are we going to get in?" Trouble asked.

"I can get Tyler to invite us in." said Holly.

"What? The kid who dobbed on us in the first place?"  
"He is six years old!" said Holly, "He didn't know any better!"

"But you did." Trouble pointed out, all past sympathy gone. Holly glared at him, "Let's just go okay? The sooner we get Grub out the better."

Trouble nodded reluctantly, and they both quietly rushed across the street to Tyler's bedroom window. Holly knocked on the glass.

"Tyler?" she called out softly, "Can you let me in?"

There was a moment's silence, and then Tyler came to the window and opened it.

"Holly!" he said, his face a picture of delight, "Guess what!"

"Not now Tyler." Said Holly, "Can you let me and my friend in?"

Tyler glanced at Trouble, and then quickly ran to his bedroom door and checked the corridor for any signs of his dad. He hurried back to the window.

"You can come in now!" he said in a sing song voice. Holly and Trouble crawled into the room and sat down on the bed.

"Guess what!" said Tyler excitedly before Holly could say anything, "I showed Daddy the photo, and he believes me! He said that he loved me! And, and he said that on Friday he's going to take me to the zoo! We are a happy family again!"

He hugged Holly, "Thank you Holly!"

Holly sighed as Tyler let go of her and she put a hand on his shoulder,

"Tyler. Sit down. I have to tell you something."

Trouble wriggled on the bed, clearly impatient with waiting. Holly motioned for him to stop, and Tyler looked between the both of them frowning.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Holly sighed again and moved her hair out of her face.

"Do you remember me telling you that you should never tell anyone about me? There was a reason for that. People are not supposed to know about us Tyler, and now you've exposed us."

Tyler frowned, "But I just told Daddy, and now he loves me…"

"You're Dad called the newspaper." Said coldly Trouble, "And he's going to write an article about us."

"Why is that bad?" asked Tyler.

"Do you know where your father went out tonight?" asked Holly. Tyler shook his head.

"He went down to one of the ports I told you about." Said Holly, "And he kidnapped one of our team."

Tyler shook his head again, "Daddy wouldn't do that. Only bad people do that."

Suddenly, Trouble practically exploded.

"Don't you get it kid?" he shouted, "My brother is in your house, and right now he is probably feeling sick as hell. And if your father goes through with that article, it'll start a war! You hear me? Your dad started a d'arvitting _war!_"

"Trouble!" whispered Holly, "Keep quiet, or they'll hear us."

Tyler's face had gone ghostly white, and he looked like he was about to cry.

"I'm sorry Holly." He began sobbing, "I thought I was making Daddy better…he promised he wouldn't tell! He promised!"

Holly held Tyler's shoulders firmly, "Tyler, calm down…"

Tyler pushed Holly away and kept crying, running into the corner and dropping to the floor. He hid himself behind his knees and continued to cry in the darkness alone.

Holly felt so sorry for him, but she knew she had to abandon him if they were going to get Grub and Mr. Richardson out of there.

"You and I have a moonbelt." Said Holly to Trouble, "This'll be easy. We can distract them, and then mesmerise them and get Grub out before anything goes wrong. It's pretty much foolproof."

"Pretty much." Grumbled Trouble, "Pretty much isn't enough. What if they have guns?"

"Let me tell you, I don't particularly think these guys are the cream of the crop." Holly remarked with a smirk, "It'll be a piece of cake."

Trouble looked at her with a renowned trust, and nodded. Quickly, they slid out the door of the bedroom, listened for movement, then carefully slinked into the living room.

* * *

Grub, on the other hand, defiantly wasn't faring too well.

"Um…guys…" he said, lifting his head from the bucket lying on his lap that his head had been dipped in for the last few minutes, "Could I please go outside? I'm not feeling too swell…"

The two men ignored him, and one of them took out a camera,

"This is amazing Arnaud!" he said, "I cannot believe that son of yours was actually telling the truth! This guy is a real elf…"

Grub didn't hear much else as he emptied the remaining contents of his stomach into the bucket. He wriggled in his seat, but the bonds holding his hands and feet were too strong. It was times like this he wished he'd just stayed at home and watched movies instead of joining the LEP. There were just so many things that went wrong for him…if he ever got out of this, he'd quit. That was it, the LEP was done for, his career with them was over…

His thoughts were interrupted as he dipped his head in the bucket once more.

The two men began to move him around, taking photos at every angle.

"Oh man!" said the guy named Arnaud, "This is so cool! We are going to be famous Jack!"

The other man nodded, and quickly began discussing various poses. Meanwhile, in the shadows, two people were waiting.

"Poor Grub." Whispered Holly as they watched the unfolding scene, "These guys have no idea what they have got themselves into…"

Trouble reached into the bag on his back and took out a buzz baton.

"Well, they'll find out soon enough." He said with a smirk.

"Hold it Trouble…" said Holly, "We can't just run in there…"

To Holly's upmost surprise, Trouble ignored her and ran in there with that baton raised high. She hadn't expected that…he was normally so professional…and here he was jumping in like a raving lunatic.

Then again, it was definitely a distraction.

The two men were shocked by this sudden noise, and each turned to find the source of the distraction. They both turned pale as Trouble charged the buzz baton and Arnaud was about to say something when Trouble hit him of them with a mild electric shock.

"Jesus Christ!" Arnaud shouted, "You short son of a bitch…" he took a swing at Trouble but he ducked down and hit him with another charge.

Holly quickly ran in while the others were busy and began to untie Grub.

"Holly!" he said weakly, "Thank god…"

"Just sit still." Holly said, "If I untie you, can you get yourself out?"

Grub nodded, "Uh…yeah I think…"

"Great. Now go!" she shouted as the last knot came undone. Grub groggily got up, the bucket tumbling to the floor and landing with an unsavoury squelch in the fluffy carpet. He stumbled towards the general direction of the door, and Holly went over to help Trouble. The humans were standing in a corner, eyes wide.

"Don't hurt us!" Jack said, "It wasn't our fault…we…"

Holly shut both of them up with a high electric shock from her baton. The two men were unconscious before they hit to floor. To tell the truth, it was a bit unorthodox, but it was much more fun than mesmerising them…

Trouble took the first guy on his moonbelt and Holly clipped on the second, and then they each headed outside.

"Holly?"

Holly turned around to see Tyler standing behind her. He came up to her, eyes puffy from crying.

"Is it over?" he asked, trembling. Holly didn't know what to do for a moment, but then she gestured for him to come over. If she was going to lose her job, she may as well give him a little surprise before they took away her wings.

"Yes, it's over." She said tenderly. "You'd better come with us."

* * *

Awww...poor Tyler.

Thanks to all who reviewed! (I don't ave time to metion you sorry, I'm meant to be doing my homework! scuttles away)


	6. Murder in the Dark

Holly is in BIG trouble...all I can say.

Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl. If I did, Lost Coloney would have been different! NO MINERVA! GRRR! looks around sheepishly and slinks into a corner

* * *

Tyler was fiddling with his pyjama buttons as he walked into the LEP headquarters. Normally, he would have been ecstatic; running around and pointing at all the funny short people, but today he was quiet and nervous. Holly looked down at him,

"You okay?" she asked, "Don't worry, nothing is going to happen to your dad."

Tyler looked at his dad, who was walking in a mesmerised state with his friend behind him, shook his head and remained silent. They entered the LEP and Tyler, momentarily forgetting his situation, looked around in awe.

"Is this where you work?" he asked, staring around and taking in every white wall, every reception desk, every funny little bleeping thing he could see. Holly couldn't help grinning.

"Yeah. Welcome to the underground." She laughed.

They passed the relatively empty corridors, attracting stares and gasps from those who were working late. Boy, would there be rumours tomorrow. They continued until they got to the front door of Root's office.

Holly turned to Trouble, "You knock."

Trouble snorted in amusement and made to knock, but before he could touch the door it opened and Root poked his head out.

"Come in." he said gruffly. Holly, Grub and Trouble immediately filed in, followed by Tyler and the two mesmerised men. Root shut the door behind them loudly, and then sat behind his desk. He rubbed his forehead, and then glanced at Tyler.

"So." He said, "This is the boy who caused us so much trouble."

Holly nodded and gulped, "Yes sir. But may I just point out that it was all my fault in the first place…"

Root held his hand up, "No, I don't want to hear it again Holly. I don't care whose fault it is, you are all accomplices."

He stood up, "I have discussed the matter with the council. They have all agreed to keep this matter under wraps, and have decided to execute the proper mind wipes to the humans."

The others nodded. Holly had expected this, but it didn't mean that her heart wasn't breaking at the thought of never being able to see Tyler again. Root continued.

"This almost destroyed what we have been trying to keep up for centuries." He said, "And although we covered it quickly, it could have easily got out of hand. If one of those photos made it to the paper it could have meant the end of us. And so, as an extra precaution, the council has also asked me to mind-wipe _anyone_ who was involved."

The group stared at Root for a moment, and then it sank in. Holly felt like her world was quietly crashing down around her.

"Hold on!" said Grub in a high-pitched voice, "Does that mean…us?"

"With all due respect Commander." Began Trouble, "We had hardly anything to do with this…"

"I don't care how much you had to do with it." Said Root, "The council wants this under wraps. Everyone who has walked within five metres of this kid gets the wipe. _No_ exceptions."

"But…"

"Didn't you hear me!" Root shouted suddenly, causing Holly to flinch. The room fell silent, and Root surveyed each one of them.

"Now…" he said calmly. "Let's head to the Ops booth. Holly, take Tyler to the council. They want to…" suddenly, Root glanced behind Holly and his face turned red.

"_Where's the bloody kid!?_" he shouted in alarm.

The others whirled around and Holly gulped as she stared at the open door.

"D'arvit." She murmured.

There was a brief moment of disbelief, and then Root promptly jumped out of his desk and headed to the door.

"Find that kid!" he shouted. "I'll go down and tell Foaly the situation, and then join up with you. Everyone on the squad will be on alert. _Now move it!_"

The occupants of the room quickly sprinted out, leaving Holly alone with the two men. They blinked at her, and one of them sort of cocked his head to the side.

"Stay here." She told them sternly, and they nodded blankly. Holly sprinted out the door, cursing as she went.

She had never been more embarrassed or frightened in her entire life. This whole thing was spinning out of control, had already spun out hours ago. No, spinning wasn't the word. Spinning was too mild. More like hurtling faster than the speeding bullet which had caused this to happen in the first place.

She wouldn't just get the mind wipes. She wouldn't just lose her badge. A human child had just become lost in one of the biggest underground cities in Ireland, and this was not only bad because their cover had been blown. Oh no. Holly could list about a hundred criminals of the underworld who would do anything to get even with the humans…even by killing them.

There was more than just her badge and her memories at stake. If she didn't find Tyler Richardson, his blood would be on her hands.

* * *

Tyler, however, didn't know all this when he decided to sneak out of Root's office and go exploring. He just wanted to get out because he didn't like the way Root looked at him. Even though Tyler was actually a little taller than him, the man was still _very_ scary.

As much as he didn't want Holly to be mad, he couldn't stand being in that scary room one more second. So when nobody was looking he edged the door open and slid through the empty corridors (the night shift was in his favour, it seemed) and out onto the quiet night street.

The air outside was stale compared to what he was used to. He coughed a bit, and then decided to sit on the steps and wait for Holly to come and get him.

And that was where a younger (and slightly drunk) Chix Verbil found him.

Chix had only joined the squad recently, and was already showing off his badge to any cute female sprite that happened to come past. As usual, luck wasn't really going his way. There was only so far you could go when you were stuck on traffic duty, and after a particularly unsuccessful night on the town he had decided to drink himself silly on Bulgarian Nectar (an alcoholic beverage which was banned in eighteen different cities for it's tendency to leave its drinkers catatonic) and then began to head home singing a slurred "High Hopes" and trying with all his might to keep his balance. Then he saw little Tyler sitting on the steps and stopped in his tracks.

A Mud Boy in Haven. He must have been hallucinating from the alcohol. He rubbed his eyes, but the little kid was still there.

_Hmm…_

His foggy mind worked slowly, trying to process this new development. It was still trying to get to grips with it when two female elves wearing particularly short and revealing dresses just happened to walk past and notice the small boy.

"Hello…" one said. "Aww…aren't you a cutie?"

"That's a Mud Boy!" The other shouted. "Don't touch it Sylvia! It might have rabies!"

Tyler looked up at the two women and sunk back against the step. The first one, Sylvia, rolled her eyes.

"Don't be stupid Lili." She scolded, and then grinned at Tyler. "He's just a kid. And he's so adorable!"

Chix stood back and summed up his options. He could always report the kid to the authorities, the LEP was right there…but the ladies loved him.

Which was more important…getting praised or getting laid? Chix chose the obvious choice.

"Ladies!" he cried dramatically, prancing between them. "Don't worry; there is plenty of him to go around."

He draped his arm over Tyler before the little boy had time to wriggle away and grinned triumphantly.

"Who are you?" Tyler asked, surprised. "Where is Holly?"

"I'm a friend of Holly's" Chix lied without even turning to face him, trying to maintain his supposedly cool status with the ladies. The other elf Lili stared at him dubiously, but Sylvia was totally ignoring him and was instead grinning at Tyler.

"Well, you're just a sweetheart!" she cooed, lightly touching his nose with one long and dark red fingernail. "In a hundred years or so I bet all the girls will be lining up to jump into bed with _you_!"

Tyler didn't actually know what the strange woman meant, but he felt happy with the compliment nonetheless. He scratched his nose and then let out a small sneeze.

Sylvia squealed. "Aww! He sneezed! That is so cute!"

It was now Lili's turn to roll her eyes.

"One sneeze can carry millions of germs directly into your body!" she protested. "A sneeze is _not _cute. Sneezes are _deadly_!"

Chix could see that this wasn't getting him anywhere, and so he decided to get them moving a little.

"Let's head home…" he began. "I bet the little man is a bit sleepy. Aren't you?"

Tyler yawned. He _was_ a bit tired. He hadn't really gotten any sleep since Holly and Trouble broke in, and he felt his limbs flop beside him.

"I'll take him!" Sylvia opted enthusiastically, reaching over and gripping Tyler's hand like a vice. Tyler flinched a little but accepted the gesture, gripping her back. Chix nodded and then pointed around the corner.

"Off we go!" He cried drunkenly, and the he began walking, Sylvia and Tyler following. Lili hesitated, but then she too hurried off to catch up.

By the time Holly was out of the building, Tyler was already gone.

* * *

Chix swore as he tried to find the keys in his pockets. Sylvia was still cooing over Tyler and Lili was watching them both with such a look of disdain that any passer-by would have taken one look at her and run for their lives. Finally, Chix pulled the keys out of his pocket and now attempted the impossibly complicated operation of actually opening the door. After at least eight shots of trying to actually get the key in the hole, he finally managed to push it in and turn it until he heard a sharp click and the door, creaking on its hinges, swung open to reveal a surprisingly messy living room, with dirty clothes littering every square inch of floor. Parts that were not covered with mess revealed a creamy white carpet that had become crusty and stained with age. To make it worse, lying on the desk in the corner was a small gun. Top of the range LEP gear that was.

It didn't really worry Chix at the time.

"Welcome to my dive!" he cried, rushing in and pushing a dirty stack of papers off a large cabinet and then opening it and pulling out two glasses and a bottle of Mud wine.

"Expensive stuff!" he said, holding it up proudly. "Got it from a dealer on the surface…" he winked. "I'm a good cop, but I can play bad cop just as well…why don't you take a seat?"

Both girls ignored the awful pickup line, and instead focused on the disgusting state of the house. Lili grimaced as she noticed a pair of boxers poking out from under the yellowed couch. Even Sylvia tore her eyes away from Tyler and sniffed the air, wrinkling her nose slightly at the stale smell. Chix poured out a couple of drinks and began to take them over, but he accidentally tripped over on a spare paper and both drinks went flying into the air. The was a loud clinking of glass as they collided on the ground and cracked into pieces, splashing wine over Chix and the old carpet. He lay there for a moment, slightly shocked, and then he noticed that his fingers hurt a lot. He quickly looked over and gasped when he saw a deep cut in his finger with a splinter of glass poking out.

"D'arvit!" He cried, non to gentlemanly. He stood up, brushed himself off and looked up, blushing slightly and trying to remain calm.

"Be back in a moment ladies." He declared, and then he rapidly walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him and cursing rather loudly as he walked to the bathroom.

Sylvia and Lili looked at each other. Lili shook her head.

"I'm not staying any more!" she said. "He creeps me out…" she waved to Sylvia and then tip-toed over the clothes and jumped out the door, leaving Sylvia and Tyler alone.

Tyler, who had only half paid attention to everything, yawned, let go of Sylvia's hand and propped himself on the couch.

"When's Holly coming back?" he murmured sleepily. He half closed his eyes and watched the foggy outline of Sylvia move around slightly.

"She'll be home soon honey." Came the reassuring voice. "Although, I don't think _you'll_ be seeing her anymore."

Tyler frowned through his closed eyelids. "Don't be silly. Why…?"

Suddenly, there was a clicking noise in front of him. Tyler's eyes snapped open and he sat shock still as he stared down the big, black barrel that was positioned between his eyes. The next words spoken were cold and blank, and they filled Tyler with a fear he had only ever felt once before, the night he had been shot.

"Don't worry, Holly will come." Sylvia said, and then she laughed. "_Someone_ has to examine the body."

* * *

Holly pushed open the doors and ran out into the cool night air, desperately searching for clues as to where her little Mud Boy had gone.

"Tyler!" she called out, knowing she would get no answer. She raised her voice until she was screaming, calling the name over and over again.

"_Tyler!_"

"Would you just shut up?" Someone called from the window of a rather dull apartment. "Your doggy will come back soon, okay?"

Holly resisted the urge to go up there with her buzz baton, and instead bit her lip and took a deep breath.

"Have you seen a little boy around here?" she called. She didn't care if she woke up the entire neighbourhood. There was a second or two silence, and then Holly heard a voice behind her.

"Oh, are you Holly?"

Holly whirled around, only to come face to face with an extremely thin woman wearing a very short skirt and a ripped T-shirt. The first word Holly thought of to describe her was not particularly nice, but she didn't say anything.

"How do you know my name?" she asked suspiciously instead.

"Oh, that kid kept talking about you, Taylor or whatever." The woman was flippant and vague with her answer. "Some mother you are, leaving the poor kid out here."

"Where is he?" Holly practically screamed the question in her frenzy to find him. The elf rolled her eyes at her.

"God, chill. We went to this disgusting cop's house. I left before he could pull one of his bogus moves on me…yuk."

"Can you take me there?" asked Holly, jumping up and down with anticipation. The elf eyed her sceptically for a moment, and then held out her hand.

"How much is he worth to you?" she asked. Holly impatiently gripped her arm.

"I can pay you_ hundreds_ when we get him back. Just take me to him. Now."

The elf contemplated this move, and then shrugged.

"Fine." She murmured, gesturing for Holly to follow her. "But Lili Frond only accepts _cash_. And lots of it."

* * *

Tyler gulped as he once again stared down the barrel. He tried to move away, but Sylvia pinned him onto the couch until he couldn't move a muscle. Sylvia leaned closer, and Tyler could smell a faint perfume smell mixed with alcohol.

"Why are you doing this?" he sobbed.

"I just want some payback." Sylvia whispered into his ear. Then she kissed him lightly, lips brushing against his cheek and leaving a faint, sticky imprint of lipstick. "I want them to know what it's like to live my live in the dark…"

She cocked the gun and dragged it slowly around his head until it was positioned on the side of his head. The cold barrel left an icy feeling across his forehead, and he could taste his salty tears falling down his face and making his pyjamas all wet.

"Don't worry." Sylvia murmured. "You won't feel a thing…"

BANG!

Tyler screamed. Thankfully for him though, it wasn't the gun that had exploded. The door flung open and Holly burst through, shortly followed by Lili who also screamed when she saw the gun in Sylvia's hand.

"What are you doing?!" she screamed.

"Finishing what I started!" Sylvia exclaimed, standing up and picking Tyler up with her. She turned to Holly. "Move an inch and I'll shoot!"

Holly's face turned white. It was all happening again. Except this time, she was alone and had only one weapon at her disposal, which was useless here. At least last time she had had the advantage of her shield, here if she moved a finger the elf would fire. She was watching her like a hawk, never blinking and constantly pushing the gun into Tyler's head. There was a small movement out of the corner of her eye…

And then, all of a sudden, there was a crash and the elf gasped. Holly blinked as Sylvia toppled to the ground, relinquishing her grip on Tyler and the gun, both of which also fell to the ground. Behind her was Lili, who was shaking violently as she gripped the end of a broken and bloody martini glass and stared down at the unmoving body of her friend.

Amidst all this, there was a creak as the door in the corner slid open, and Chix walked out in a new shirt, with a big smile on his face.

"So ladies…" he began, and then he noticed Holly with Tyler, Lili with the glass and Sylvia knocked out on the floor, and he frowned deeply.

"What happened?" he asked slightly shakily. Holly glared at him.

"You." She gestured to him. "Are under arrest for kidnapping and irresponsible use of a LEP weapon. As of now, you will be detained until further notice. You _will_ remain silent. Got that?"

Chix opened his mouth to say yes, and then thought better of it and instead nodded very quickly. Holly nodded too, and then made her way out the door.

"Carry her out with you." She ordered, showing no sympathy for the elf as she went over to a sobbing Tyler and picked him up, leading him out. Lili followed them without a second thought, until it was only Chix left in the room. He stared down at the woman and groaned.

"D'arvit." He mumbled again, leaning down to pick her up. "Why'd I pick this job?"

* * *

Sorry if the ending seemed funny...did it seem funny:S Next chapter, Root gets everything under control and Holly loses Tyler seemingly forever...

Thanks to xamethyst girlx, paradisegurl101 and milly for reviewing!


	7. The Wipe

Hello all!

Yes, I'm back! Yippee! My troubles have been sorted, and I have a nice update to keep everyone happy :) I know i'm happy now. ;)

I hope y'all missed me...ha ha. I missed you all, don't worry. :D

Enjoy this short update...you should be getting them a little faster now. Then again, you are talking to me...

* * *

If Root hadn't been impressed before, he was even less impressed when Holly dragged in two unsavoury women, one unconscious, and a police officer with his metaphorical tail between his legs.

"What happened?" he asked. "I've had everyone out looking for this kid. How did you find him?"

Holly gestured to Lili. "Sir, meet Lili Frond. She is the one who helped me find him and did the nice work on the civilian here." She gestured to Sylvia here. "She held Tyler at gunpoint with this officer's gun"

Root groaned. "Jesus Christ. I turn my back for two seconds and the world comes to an end. Okay, I'll call back the others. Holly, take Tyler and the others to the Ops Booth, and then come to my office. I want to talk to you before the wipe."

Holly's face fell. For a minute, she had forgotten about the wipes. Behind her, she heard Lili clap.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. "That was so professional sir…" she fluttered her eyelids as she said this, a sure sign of _her_ profession. Root wasn't the slightest bit interested, but he nodded at her anyway.

"Thank you for your help." He said sincerely. "You would make a good officer."

Lili gasped and put a hand over her mouth. "Really? You think so?"

"Can we go now?" Holly pleaded. She didn't want to spend one more second watching this flirting game, especially seeing as Lili would probably end up taking over her job after the wipe if it continued. That would be interesting if she broke a nail on the field, but if she had a choice between entertainment and a job that paid the bills Holly knew which one she'd choose.

Root noticed her desperation to get moving, and he nodded to Chix.

"Know where the Ops Booth is?" He asked gruffly. Chix nodded, knowing full well that he should listen to Root if he valued his badge. His commander was already wrinkling his nose at the pungent smell of alcohol and wondering why he hired this idiot in the first place.

"Good." He grumbled "Get going."

Chix hoisted Sylvia back into his arms and grunted as he lugged her though the corridor, the remaining night shift personnel staring at him oddly. None of these people would remember him later. Root and Holly headed in the opposite direction, towards his office and what Holly imagined to be her doom. They reached the office door, and Root opened it and ploughed in without a word to his fellow officer. Holly thought it was a bit rude, but she didn't say anything as she took a chair and Root shut the door behind her and sat at his own desk.

"Holly." He began. "Do you realise just how much trouble you are in?"

_Thanks._

"Yes Commander." Holly replied, face turning red.

"Do you realise exactly what you could have done tonight?"

"Yes Commander."

"The whole station is in turmoil."

Holly gritted her teeth. "_Yes_ Commander."

Root glared at her. "Don't just _yes_ me Short." He warned.

"What else am I supposed to do?" Holly asked indignantly. "So far tonight, everyone has told me I screwed up." He voice rose slightly. "I know I screwed up okay? It doesn't mean you all have to shove it in my face! Everybody makes mistakes okay?"

"Not everybody makes mistakes that endanger the life of every fairy in Haven." Root pointed out. Holly's already cracked composure melted and her anger burst forward.

"I just wanted him to live!" she shouted angrily. "Is that so bad? He's a little boy! His mother died, I felt sorry for him. At least someone cared for him! He just wanted his Dad to love him…" she paused, to take a breath and before she could begin again Root coughed.  
"Holly, calm down."

"It's because I'm a girl isn't it?" Holly remarked. "You know I'm a great officer. You can't just wipe me and leave me out there with nothing. If you gave me a chance…"

Root put his head in his hands. "Holly, you're still on the squad."

Holly's anger was held back long enough for her to pause and stare at Root blankly.

"What?" she asked.

"You are still on the squad." Root repeated. "I'm not going to fire you."

Holly's eyes brightened. "Does that mean you aren't going to wipe me either?"

Root shook his head. "No Holly. You are still getting mind wiped. I tried, but the Council aren't changing their minds."

Holly sighed. She knew now that that had been the final word on the matter…she was not going to get out of this. And now that she knew it was happening, the full force of it hit her like a bus.

She was going to forget. Everything.

Root caught the look she gave him and sighed. "Holly, I know you don't want to get mind wiped…"

"Would you?" Holly asked sulkily, eyes clouding up.

"But you know it has to be done. You might lay low for a while, but then decide you might 'accidentally' go past his house and bam! He remembers everything"  
"But I wouldn't do that!" Holly protested.

"Yes you would. I'd do it too. And that's why I'm going to supervise the wipe myself."

"Why!" Holly screamed. "Why are you making me do this?"

The office was silent. Root stood there unmoving for a moment, and then he took a deep breath.

"I don't want to see you suffer Holly." Root said, a genuine concern for her surfacing under the words. "Do you really think you could go to work everyday without remembering what it was like? Do you think you could live without him, knowing that he is out there without a clue about who you are and what you did for him?"

Holly was taken off guard by this sudden speech. She sort of stood there awkwardly, and then Root spoke again.

"Holly, this is for the best." He insisted. "Tyler and his father will be better off."

"He's just a kid." Holly murmured. "He hasn't got anyone to take care of him except me."

Root shook his head. "Yes he does Holly. He has a father…"

"Who beats him up all the time!" Holly interrupted, a stray tear falling from her eye. Root noticed this, and he came over to her and put his big, burly arms around her, just like her father used to when she was a little kid. A very rare thing for Root to do. Holly hesitated for a moment and then returned the hug, letting tears fall from her eyes and onto his shoulder.

"I don't want to lose him." Holly whispered. "I don't want to forget."

"There, there." Root mumbled back. "It's all for the best. Better to live a happy life without a memory than a miserable life with one."

Holly had to tell herself that she believed that.

* * *

Half an hour later and Holly was in the Ops Booth, waiting for Foaly to give the all clear. She was seated in an uncomfortable chair with a big dish-like thing strapped to her head.

"Foaly." She mumbled. "If I forget to tell you this afterwards, could you please rebuild this thing? It looks like something out of a Mud man movie."

Normally Foaly would have told her off for that, but instead he gave her a small nod and then attended to the machine in question. Tyler was sitting next to her, and his face was rather pale.

"What's going on?" he asked Holly. "Why are we here?"

Holly had to bite back tears once again as she looked into his wide-eyed, petrified little face. She took a deep breath.

"Remember when I told you not to tell anyone about me because it was a secret?" she asked. Tyler nodded. "Well, us fairies are not meant to see humans. So when you do, they make you forget about it."

Tyler frowned. "Like aliens?"

Holly laughed. "No, not like aliens. We're nicer than aliens. But it means you might forget a few things…"

"I forgotted what I had for breakfast." Tyler commented. "Is that it?"

Holly could feel her throat closing up, and she forced herself to go on.

"You'll forget a bit more than that Tyler." She said, voice choking. "You'll forget about what happened to you and your father, you'll forget about coming down here…you'll forget about me."

Tyler laughed. "No I won't. I couldn't forget-"

Tyler paused as he watched Holly's serious face scrunch up as tear worked their way to the surface of her eyes. He gulped.

"Are you telling the truth?" he asked quietly. Holly opened her mouth to speak, and then shut it and nodded. Tyler was silent for a moment, and then a small tear fell down his face.

"I'm going to forget you?" he whimpered. "But I don't wanna forget you Holly. I don't wanna go back to daddy…I could live with you! Then we could be a family…"

"Tyler, I-"

"I don't wanna forget!" Tyler screamed, making Foaly flinch.

"Could you two please be quiet?" he asked, ignoring the daggers Holly was glaring at him. "Carry on like that and I might give you brain damage."

Tyler quickly obliged and sank into his chair, silently sobbing. There was a sharp knock on the door.

"Foaly!" came Root's barking voice. "Hurry up! We are on a tight schedule here…it's almost daylight."

Foaly took a deep breath, then continued attending to the machine.

"If you want to say goodbye…now's the time." He said, not daring to look his friend in the eye. Holly turned to Tyler, preparing her goodbyes, but for once she was at a loss for words.

"Tyler…" she began, and then faltered. Tyler turned to her, a determined look on his face.

"I won't forget you Holly." He said. "Never. Ever. Ever."

"Me neither." Holly replied, smiling. But deep down she knew that was bullshit. Tomorrow she'd wake up, make coffee, get ready for work and go on with her life as if nothing had ever happened. She wouldn't have a clue who Tyler Richardson was, and he would have no clue she existed.

_It's for the best._ She assured herself._ It's for the best, it's for the best…_

There was a slight bleeping from the corner, and Foaly clapped his hands.

"We're ready." he said half heartedly. "I suppose we'd better get this over and done with…"

He hesitated, then reached for a small needle beside him. He walked over to Holly first, and cringed.

"I'm so sorry." he said. "I'm sorry for everything."

Holly shook her head. "It's okay. It's for the best." Foaly nodded, but he didn't look convinced.

"Count to ten." He said, raising the needle. Holly turned to Tyler.

"Tyler." She began. "I just want you to know I lo-"

Before she had time to finish, she felt something pierce her arm. Everything went dark as the sedative worked itself around her body. The last thing she heard was Tyler's scream before she was thrust into a deep sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Holly Short woke up, made coffee and got ready for work as if nothing had ever happened. 


End file.
